AS PREPARED FOR DELIVERYFriday, May 13, 2011CONTACT OFFICE OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS202-482-4883

Commerce Secretary Gary LockeRemarks at New Markets, New Jobs NEI Small Business Tour, Wilmington, Delaware

Hello everybody.
Thanks for those kind words, and for having us here today.

I’d like to give a
special thanks to the people who helped make this event happen:

Our hosts, the World Trade Center of
Delaware and the State of Delaware
International Trade and Development.

And I want to thank Senator Chris Coons for joining
us today. Since being sworn in to office last November, Senator Coons has made
job creation a priority by working to expand our country’s manufacturing industry
and streamline the patent approval process to ensure that America’s ideas
can enter the marketplace quickly to help businesses grow.

Also here with us is
a powerful fighter for the state of Delaware,
Governor Jack Markell. Jack has for years been a strong voice for Delaware’s
small businesses and working families.

And fortunately, things are starting to get just a
little better for those families. We learned last Friday that in April, the
private sector added 268,000 jobs in almost every sector, from manufacturing to
education to retail.

Two years after one
of the worst recessions we’ve ever seen, our economy is showing signs of real
strength. We have now seen the private sector create jobs for fourteen
consecutive months, adding 2.1 million private sector jobs.

But while the growth
we’re experiencing tells us that we are continuing to move in the right
direction, we are not satisfied with the pace … and we will not be satisfied
until every American who wants a job can find one.

That's why we're
here today. This event is the fourth leg
of our “New Markets, New Jobs” business tour.

The purpose of this
nationwide trip is simple:

To help small and
medium-sized American businesses sell more goods and services around the world,
so they can create more jobs here at home.

In the next few
minutes, I’ll explain how we’re going to do it.

But first, I think
it's important to identify the stakes of what we’re talking about here today.

In his State of the
Union address in January, President Obama said how important it was for America to win
the future.

He said the most
important contest our nation faces is not between Democrats and Republicans,
but between America
and countries around the world that are competing like never before for the
jobs and industries of the future.

And the primary goal
of the Obama administration is to give businesses like yours the tools you need
to win in the global economy.

On the one hand,
we’re aggressively incentivizing investment here in America.

That’s why President
Obama insisted on two key provisions in the December tax package he signed that
will directly help Delaware
companies and their customers.

It featured a new
expensing benefit, which will allow companies to write off 100 percent of their
machinery and equipment purchases made in 2011.

That is the largest
temporary investment incentive for businesses in the history of the United States.

The package also
contained a payroll tax cut that will put as much as an extra $2,000 in the
pocket of a Delaware family making $100,000 -- helping to drive new business
and local companies, stores and restaurants.

And in his State of the Union address, President Obama called for
comprehensive corporate tax reform. He
said he wants to work with Congress to get rid of the loopholes, level the
playing field and use those savings to lower the corporate tax rate for the
first time in 25 years … without adding to our deficit.

At the same time,
the administration is making unprecedented efforts to help companies like yours
grow by breaking into foreign markets.

The
simple fact is that the more American and Delaware companies export, the more they
produce. The more they produce, the more workers they need. And that means
jobs. Good paying jobs here at home.

Consider
that exports directly support nearly 10 million U.S.
jobs, with more than 19,000 export-supported jobs here in Delaware.

Last year,
nearly 1,000 companies exported goods from Delaware.
85 percent of those were small-and medium-sized businesses … the very
businesses that are leading the charge in creating jobs and spurring economic
recovery.

The
jobs created by exports are good-paying jobs that pay 15 percent more than the
typical wage in America. . .

. . .Exactly the type of
jobs we need a lot more of.

That’s why early
last year President Obama announced his National Export Initiative, which
mobilizes departments throughout the federal government to double U.S. exports by
2015 in support of several million new jobs.

We’re already off to
a good start. Exports today account for 12.8 percent
of all U.S.
economic output, which is the biggest portion of our economy since the Commerce
Department began tracking this figure in 1929.

That
success is even more impressive when you remember where we were just two years
ago … in the midst of the worst recession any of us had ever seen.

As I
look back at my tenure as Commerce Secretary, I take great pride in the efforts
our department -- especially the International Trade Administration -- have
taken to expand exports and create jobs here in America.

Exports have become
a key driver of America's
economic recovery, accounting for nearly half of U.S. economic
growth since mid-2009.

And
Commerce has played a significant role in supporting American exporters. We led 35 trade missions last year – that’s a record.

We’ve opened 11
offices of our brand-new one-stop shop CommerceConnect initiative, including
one in Philadelphia.

And we’ve worked
with the National Association of Manufacturers, as well as FedEx, UPS and the
Postal Service, to identify companies well-positioned to export more… pairing
them with our trade specialists worldwide whose sole job is to find new
customers for made-in-the-USA goods and services.

We’ve
seen great success.

But there’s still
plenty of room to grow.

And the Obama
administration is committed to ensuring that American companies can capitalize
on the potential of expanding global markets.

You saw a great
example of this last December, when President Obama signed a landmark trade
agreement with South Korea.

We are working hard
to get this deal through Congress. And if it passes, it could boost annual U.S. exports to Korea by $11 billion and support at
least 70,000 American jobs.

Remember that in the
wake of the recent free trade agreement with Singapore,
Delaware’s
exports to that country doubled. The Australia free
trade agreement led to exports almost quadrupling.

We are hoping to see
similar success with the Korea
deal.

All in all, America’s
economic output is expected to increase more from the U.S.-Korea agreement than
from our last nine trade agreements combined!

As I said earlier,
small- to medium-sized businesses are absolutely critical to expanding American
trade with the world.

Despite all the
progress we've seen in boosting American exports over the last few years, we
can do so much more.

Consider the fact that only one percent of U.S.
companies export – and of those that do, 58 percent export to only one country,
typically to Mexico or Canada.

Now, of course it's
important to sell more within the United States.

But in a global
economy where 95 percent of the world's consumers live outside U.S. borders,
you've got to go where the customers are.

The more markets you
are selling in, the more diversified your customer base is.

That’s why U.S. companies
that exported a lot generally held up better during the recession than
companies that didn't.

And the truth of the
matter is that your “made-in-the-USA” goods and services are highly valued and
greatly desired throughout the world!

Still, there are plenty of reasons why many U.S. companies
don’t export:

They may have trouble getting the financing they need to produce
more of their goods; or

They may be worried about getting timely payment from an
unfamiliar customer.

They may have difficulty understanding and navigating foreign
customs and regulations; or

They may not have the networks to get meetings with potential
distributors, customers or foreign government decision-makers.

The National Export
Initiative, or NEI, is designed to help more companies – like those gathered
here today – overcome these hurdles.

We understand that
when you're running a small business, you’ve got:

Payroll to meet;

Orders to fill; and

Customers to serve.

You might not have
time to go searching for government services that can help your business.

So we’re coming to
you.

Today, we've got
teams from the:

Export-Import Bank;

Small Business Administration; and the

Agriculture Department.

From the Commerce
Department, we’ve got representatives from our International Trade
Administration, which advocates for U.S.
businesses in 77 countries around the world, and has outreach teams in over 100
cities across America.

To get their
assistance, all you need to do is pick up the phone and call 1-800-USA-TRADE or
go online to http://export.gov/.

Commerce Department
experts will then:

Work with you to design and implement a
market entry or expansion strategy;

Conduct an international search to find
potential agents or distributors for your unique business; and

Contact potential overseas businesses.

Think of it as
match-making for exporters. We'll keep searching for partners and customers for
you until you find the right fit.

The Commerce
Department's export assistance team in Philadelphia
has a proven track record of connecting Delaware
businesses to buyers in foreign markets.

And our local teams
can connect you with resources from our other government partners, like the
Export-Import Bank.

To cite just one
example of the great work the Export-Import Bank does, they’ll actually
guarantee payment from a foreign customer that wants to buy your good or
service. This is the type of security a small business owner needs to sleep at
night!

We’ve also got staff
from your local U.S. Export Assistance Center here today. These are people who
can answer your most difficult questions.
USEAC folks, please raise your hands so people know where you are.

I know for many
companies in Delaware,
you're just starting to see the benefits of an economy that’s thriving
again. I'm confident that that positive
momentum will continue in the year ahead.

But one thing is
clear:

For the American
economy to produce the millions of new jobs we need, our small and medium-size
businesses must lead the way.

When you succeed,
the entire American economy succeeds.

And the Obama
administration will do everything it can to give you the help you need.

Thank you everyone
again for coming today, and now I’d like to turn it back over to. . . .